10 Best Hard Rock Cover Songs

When you're choosing covers, it's always a bit risky to cover a classic artist whose songs have been lauded as untouchable. However, Guns N Roses's decision to cover Bob Dylan was a match made in the hard rock heavens.

Originally recorded for a movie about Billy the Kid, Dylan's original version of "Knockin" was much more subdued as he describes a man leaving all of his material possessions behind as he slowly awaits the cold embrace of death. In a brilliant juxtaposition of tone, GNR molded the original into a huge arena-rock singalong. Instead of being resigned to his fate, the narrator of this version seems like he isn't ready to die and is using every chorus as a desperate plea to return to the land of the living.

While Dylan's main composition holds its power in the vocals, Guns N Roses take advantage of the full band by bringing in Slash's emotional guitar solo and the slamming hair-metal drums to give the song a greater weight. Covering a classic song is a walk in the park, but doing it well is something that only true artists possess. After "Heaven's Door," Guns N Roses were indestructible as one of the greatest bands of 80's rock.